Collapse
by Zephyr26
Summary: ASGRZC! Based off the events in 9/11 and Eric Walter's story 'We All Fall Down'. Cloud and Sephiroth are stuck in a collapsing building while their boyfriends watch anxiously from the sidelines. Will the two make it out alive?
1. Chapter 1

**I'm writing Final Fantasy! This is ASGRZC or Angeal, Sephiroth, Genesis, Reno (please don't kill me for adding him into this group!), Zack, and Cloud and this is my first story with more than two people in a relationship. It's based off 9/11 sort of and Eric Walters' We All Fall Down. This is a two-shot so I will post part two… eventually. Probably soon. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or anything of Eric Walter's.**

**Anyways, a little angst, a little humour, some romance, and enjoy! **

Fourteen year old Cloud Strife stared emotionless at the piece of paper his teacher had just handed out. The title of the handout made his heart clench.

_Take your kid to work day!_

_Tomorrow, instead of attending school, we ask parents to take their children to work with them. This will be a great opportunity for your children to learn about the working environment. We hope this is a good learning and bonding experience for both child and parent. _

The bell rang, signalling the end of school, and Cloud swallowed, folding up the piece of paper and sliding it into his pocket before he packed his stuff into his bag, threw it over his shoulder, and left the classroom. His mind was whirling as he walked out of the school and headed home.

It had been five months ago that his parents had disowned him because he told them he was gay. With no other options, he went to his work at Seventh Heaven Diner and took an early shift from his boss Tifa. While he was completely alone, five men who were in a relationship walked in and they ended up introducing themselves because they thought he was cute. Then, while making their drinks, Cloud broke down crying and told the five men what had happened. They had offered to take him in and then he ended up going on a date with them and now here they were: dating.

The youngest of the men who Cloud now loved to pieces was named Zack Fair. He was eighteen and in university. He had spiky black hair and blue eyes and he was like a child. He was the third tallest of the older men.

The second youngest was Reno Cinder, a twenty year old police officer straight out of university. He had spiky red hair that he mostly tied back into a ponytail and he had blue eyes with weird tattoos on the sides. He was also quite childish and somewhat perverted. He was the same height as Zack.

Genesis Rhapsodos was twenty-two years old and he was able to go from happy to pissed off in a second. He worked in an office, doing what? Cloud didn't really know, but the older man got bored a lot at his job so Cloud was constantly texting him. He had red hair that was actually normally stylized and blue-green eyes. He was the shortest of the men.

Sephiroth Masamune was the tallest and he was extremely overprotective. He was twenty-five years old and also the self-proclaimed serious one. He had long silver hair and green cat-like eyes. He worked in the Peace Towers, the two tallest buildings in the world and both international financial districts. Sephiroth often seemed to favour Cloud, which the blonde didn't mind.

Angeal Hewley was the oldest at twenty-eight years old. He worked at the same office as Genesis and was basically the mother of his lovers. He had black hair like Zack and a small beard at the base of his chin. He also had blue eyes and was the second tallest man.

Cloud didn't really know how the five most attractive men alive had been drawn to someone like him. He was fourteen with spiky blonde hair and blue eyes. He was short and somewhat depressed. His age also made him somewhat childish; although he was often more mature than the majority of his boyfriends.

As he walked home, he pondered what to do about his situation. He guessed he could probably just go to work for the day. He could call Tifa and ask her when a good time for him to come in would be. He sighed, suddenly feeling somewhat homesick as he walked in the front door of his boyfriends' mansion, and he meant overly large house that was too big to be just that.

"Hey Angel! How was school!" Angeal called from the kitchen.

Cloud dropped his backpack onto the bench in the foyer and trudged into the kitchen, collapsing into a chair at the small table. He rested his arms on the table and started twirling his hair around his finger.

Angeal watched his youngest lover's distressed state from where he sat across from him. "Cloud? Is everything okay?"

The blonde reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, sliding it across the table to the older man. Afterwards, he dropped his head into his arms.

Angeal flipped open the paper and read it over, his mouth forming an 'O'. He put down the paper and moved to sit next to the blonde. He rubbed the younger boy's arm comfortingly. "It's alright baby, we'll work something out."

Angeal had Zack take Cloud into the living room so the two could watch a movie and distract the blonde. Angeal paced in the kitchen and Genesis watched his older lover.

"Angie, pacing isn't going to help." Genesis said as he took a sip of his coffee.

Angeal paused to look at his boyfriend, who was sitting at the table. "Gen, why are you drinking coffee so late?"

"It's only four." Genesis retorted, taking another sip of his coffee.

The front door suddenly opened and shut.

"Seph! Give it back!"

Angeal and Genesis shared a look and the redhead rolled his eyes as Sephiroth walked into the kitchen, eating what they guessed was Reno's cookie.

"Sephiroth, must you really antagonize him?" Angeal asked shaking his head.

Sephiroth finished the cookie. "Yes."

Genesis smirked. "You're a cookie freak."

"Gen, bigger things to worry about remember?" Angeal asked.

"Why? What's going on?" Sephiroth asked.

The ravenette sighed and grabbed the piece of paper off the kitchen table, handing it to Sephiroth, who read it over. The silverette's eyes narrowed.

"Cloud came home with that today and we don't know what to do." Angeal explained.

Sephiroth grinned. "I do. Cloud! Come here!" The man called.

The blonde walked into the kitchen moments later. "Reno's trying to steal Zack's cookies." He alerted the older men.

"Damn it Reno!" Genesis exclaimed, storming into the living room.

Angeal shook his head. "What is it with you guys and cookies?"

Sephiroth rolled his eyes and took Cloud's hands, leading the boy over to the kitchen table and sitting him down on the chair. He knelt down in front of the blonde. "Cloud, how would you like to come into work with me tomorrow? You could see the Peace Towers." The silverette asked.

Cloud's face lit up and he smiled, throwing his arms around the older man. "Yes! Yes! I'd love that!"

Sephiroth smiled and hugged the boy back. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Angeal smiling approvingly at him.

A crash resounded from the living room and the three men jumped, running into the next room. They found Zack, Reno, and Genesis in a heap on the floor with a bag of cookies just out of reach.

Angeal shook his head. "Genesis, I thought you were coming to resolve the problem, not get involved."

Zack grinned. "No one can resist the temptation of the cookie."

"Zackary Fair I'm going to strangle you!" Genesis yelled, throwing Reno off of him and attacking the ravenette.

Reno got to his feet and grabbed the bag of cookies, grinning at Sephiroth. The silverette stuck out his tongue. Angeal suddenly snatched the bag out of Reno's hands.

"Angie!" Reno whined.

"You'll spoil your dinner." Angeal scolded.

Cloud laughed at his boyfriends and Sephiroth smiled, wrapping an arm around the younger boy's shoulders as Angeal tried to pull Genesis off Zack, who was laughing uncontrollably.

The next morning, everyone was up early and in the kitchen eating breakfast together. Angeal had made pancakes and was treating everyone like it was their first day of kindergarten. Cloud found it rather funny and amusing.

The blonde, who wasn't very hungry, found himself on Zack's lap as the ravenette wolfed down his food.

"Oh! Angie! These are orgasmic!" Zack exclaimed around a mouthful of food.

"Zackary!" Angeal, Genesis, and Sephiroth yelled in warning at the same time.

Cloud giggled as Zack blinked. "What?" The older boy asked.

"Don't corrupt Cloud!" Genesis scolded him.

Zack waved a dismissive hand. "Cloud's already corrupted. Aren't you babe?"

The blonde smirked. "Completely."

Reno chuckled as he reached over and ruffled the blonde's hair. "Nah, he's still too innocent, don't you think Zack?"

"Reno!" Angeal warned.

"Why am I always the one to get in trouble?" The redhead asked exasperated.

"Because you're a naughty cop." Zack told him.

Genesis rolled his eyes and shook his head. "They never learn."

Angeal looked at the clock. "Time to go guys." He said as he started to pick up everyone's plates.

Cloud climbed off Zack's lap and helped his oldest lover. Genesis, Zack, Reno, and Sephiroth went upstairs to finish getting ready.

Angeal looked over at the blonde as they washed dishes. The boy wore black jeans and black and white converse with a silver studded belt showing. He had on what appeared to be Sephiroth's grey shirt, but on him it had to be rolled up slightly on the sleeves. "So, are you excited for today?"

The blonde grinned. "Yeah, I've never been to the Peace Towers before."

"They're amazing; you're going to have a great time." The ravenette assured him.

Cloud felt arms slide around his waist and a chin rested on his shoulder. "He couldn't have come to work with us Angie?" Genesis whined, making Cloud giggle.

"No, you know how much of a bore we are. Besides, it was Seph's idea so he gets to take Cloud." Angeal said.

"Joy kill." Genesis pouted as he kissed Cloud's cheek quickly before he went off to finish getting ready.

Cloud and Angeal finished off the dishes and then Angeal went to finish getting ready. Zack was the first to join Cloud in the foyer.

"Man, I wish university had take your kid to work day." The ravenette whined as he pulled on his shoes.

"You got it before Zack." Cloud reminded him.

"Yeah, but then Seph could have taken us both in and we could have had a threesome." Zack said.

Cloud's face heated up and Reno chose that exact moment to walk in, grinning. "And then I could come and arrest the three of you for having sex in Seph's office and then we could have a foursome."

"Zack, Reno, you two are the most immature, perverted people I know." Genesis said as he walked in.

"Ha! For once it wasn't just me!" Reno exclaimed happily.

"Although I have to admit, that sounds hot." Genesis added as an after thought.

Cloud blushed even more and by the time Sephiroth walked in, the poor blonde was red as a tomato. The silverette glared at Zack, Genesis, and Reno. "What did you three do?"

"It was them." Genesis motioned to Zack and Reno.

"No fair Gen!" Both boys whined.

"Stop tormenting poor Cloud, he's not old enough to even have sex." Genesis scolded them.

"Genesis!" The other four boys exclaimed at once.

Genesis looked at each of them. "What did I do?"

Angeal walked into the foyer, not noticing the atmosphere. "Alright, is everyone ready?"

"Yes." Cloud said thankfully.

Everyone pulled on their shoes and grabbed their work bags, excluding Cloud, who didn't need a bag.

"Okay, everyone have a good day." Angeal said before walking over to Cloud and pulling him in for a hug and a kiss. "Love you." The ravenette told him.

"Love you too." Cloud said.

Everyone else began saying their goodbyes, which with six men, was a chore in itself.

Next to go to Cloud was Zack. "Have fun, but not too much fun." The ravenette told him with a wink.

Cloud rolled his eyes and pulled Zack in for a quick kiss. "Love you Zack Attack." The blonde said.

"Love you too baby." Zack said.

Cloud caught sight of Genesis and Sephiroth making out as their goodbye before Reno came over to him. "See you after work babe." Reno said before kissing his cheek and then kissing him. "Love you."

"I love you too Reno." The blonde said.

Genesis came over to the youngest lover after he finished sucking face with Sephiroth. Cloud found that those two were funny that way, always making out and never just sharing a sweet kiss. "Have fun, unlike me." Genesis told him.

Cloud laughed and kissed the redhead. "I'll text you."

Genesis smiled. "I love you."

"Love you too." The blonde said as the redhead kissed his forehead.

Everyone slipped out of the house after that. Reno drove Sephiroth and Cloud to work and Angeal and Genesis drove Zack to school.

Cloud and Sephiroth had to walk ten minutes to the Peace Towers because of how busy it was, even at eight in the morning. The second the two arrived at the foot of the building, Cloud's jaw dropped and he had to bend over backwards to see the top of the buildings that stood side by side.

Sephiroth grinned and wrapped an arm around the blonde's waist to keep him from falling over. "It's an even more impressive view from the top. Shall we go take a look?"

Cloud straightened and beamed at the silverette. "Yes!"

Sephiroth ruffled the blonde's hair and moved his arm to the younger boy's shoulders, pulling him into the building. The two took the elevator to the top floor of the first tower; the one Sephiroth worked in, and stepped out onto the observation deck.

Cloud looked in awe out the window and, when he dared, straight down. "Wow, this is incredible."

The silverette smiled. "Yes, it's something you never get tired of." He was glad that Cloud was smiling. The poor blonde had been through enough, and today should be special for him, not a bad reminder. He snapped out of his reverie. "Come on, we should get down to my office."

The two took the elevator down to the seventieth floor, which Sephiroth had not mentioned encompassed his entire office!

Cloud walked into the large room, gawking. There was a floor to ceiling window on one entire wall! "You are the luckiest boss on the planet."

Sephiroth smirked and led the boy over to his desk, dropping down onto his chair and pulling the blonde onto his lap. "I'm the luckiest man too. Except for Angeal, Genesis, Reno, Zack, and you."

"Aw, you're so soft sometimes." Cloud cooed, reaching up to kiss the older man.

The door to Sephiroth's office suddenly opened and a man walked in, blinking at the display of Cloud on his bosses' lap, luckily no longer kissing. "Um, sir, there's a matter to attend to on the fiftieth floor."

Sephiroth sighed. "Alright, be down in a minute."

The man quickly left and Cloud chuckled. Sephiroth pecked the boy on the nose before they both got up and left the office. They went down twenty floors and found that the situation was nothing more than a computer glitch on the entire floor.

As Sephiroth tried to sort out the matter, Cloud's eyes drifted to the square panelled windows. He could see for miles of the city, even from only the midway point of the building. His eyes caught a blur in the corner and he squinted his eyes to see something heading towards the building. He focussed even more and found that it was… a plane. In fact the giant air craft was heading in the general direction of their floor!

"Seph!" He warned, taking a step back.

Sephiroth looked down at him and then followed the blonde's terrified gaze, seeing the plane just as it was about to crash into the floors in their area, maybe just a little above. Sephiroth's eyes widened and he grabbed Cloud, running as far away from the window as he could before he heard the plane crash through the brick and glass. He pushed Cloud to the ground and shielded the younger boy with his body, feeling some debris hit him. When everything went silent, Sephiroth opened his eyes and looked down at Cloud.

"Cloud! Are you okay!" He asked worriedly, sitting back and pulling the boy to his knees.

Cloud looked at him with complete terror etched on his face. "What the hell was that?"

Sephiroth looked back at where the plane had crashed, seeing the belly of it having torn through the ceiling. He could also see everyone else on the floor dead. Cloud looked back and caught sight of the same thing and he began to tremble in Sephiroth's arms. The silverette looked back at the blonde and embraced him.

"It's okay. Listen, we've got to get out of here now." Sephiroth said, too shocked now to even be scared. He was only worried about getting Cloud out in case the same thing occurred again, but on a lower floor.

"What about everyone else?" Cloud asked, tearing his gaze away from the scene of concrete, blood, and mangled bodies.

"We'll stop at the next few floors and make sure everyone gets out. There's nothing we can do for the people here or above us." Sephiroth decided.

Cloud nodded and let the silverette help him to his feet. The two ran to the stairs and down a flight, where workers were shaken by the attack.

"Mr. Masamune! What happened?" One man asked.

"You'll find out later, what's important now is getting out of the building and warning the other floors below us that it's not safe." Sephiroth told the man.

The man nodded and ushered everyone out. Sephiroth pulled him aside momentarily. "Tell everyone to start warning the floors below. I'll double check afterwards to make sure everyone's out for the next few floors, but I have to get someone out safely too." The silverette said.

The man nodded and ran off.

Cloud hadn't realised that he had been clutching his boyfriend's arm tightly until Sephiroth delicately untangled the boy's fingers and gathered his hands in one of his. Sephiroth bent down until his face was level with Cloud's and he rested his free hand on the boy's cheek. "Don't worry Angel; everything's going to be fine."

Cloud nodded and quickly threw his arms around Sephiroth, kissing the older man. The silverette was momentarily shocked but he kissed back. He let it linger for a few moments and then pulled back. "Come on, we have to keep moving." He grabbed the blonde's hand and ran to the stairs, pulling him down to the next floor.

The two ran down, checking every floor and making sure everyone got out alright. They made it to the fortieth floor before they found that the offices hadn't been emptied yet. Sephiroth told everyone to leave and the two waited until everyone was getting to the stairs. One woman paused to ask Sephiroth what had happened.

"A plane crashed into the building." Sephiroth told her.

"What!" She asked in disbelief.

"Yes. Around the fifty-fifth floor probably." He explained.

She nodded and went back over to her cubical.

"What are you doing?" Cloud asked as Sephiroth followed her, automatically dragging him along.

The woman turned on the TV in her cubicle, and on the news channel was the exact building they were in, smoking from the spot where the plane had hit.

Cloud's eyes widened. "Holy shit."

"Fuck." Sephiroth spat. He knew Angeal, Reno, Genesis, and Zack could be watching this right now, and they would be freaking out. "Come on, we have to keep moving." He turned off the TV and pushed the woman out of the cubicle. They ran to the stairs and let the woman go ahead of them as they checked the next floor. Again, this floor had people on it, so Sephiroth told them to alert the people on lower floors so they could get everyone out quicker.

Cloud hesitantly looked out the window and he could see the other building. It was still standing, unscathed. He had barely been able to see it on the TV for all the smoke. "Why only hit one Peace Tower?" He asked himself, while Sephiroth was off checking around the floor to make sure everyone had cleared out.

Another plane suddenly crashed into the building directly across from them and the blonde's mouth dropped open. An explosion shot debris everywhere, including at their building. Cloud saw a rather large chunk hit the floor below them. The floor momentarily shook and Cloud stumbled, only for him to be caught by Sephiroth, who was staring at the other building in wide-eyed horror.

"What just happened?" The silverette asked.

"I… The other building… Another…" Cloud stumbled over his words.

Sephiroth shook his head. "We have to get out now. No more pit stops." He grabbed Cloud's hand and pulled the younger boy to the stairs, only to find their way blocked by crumbling scaffolding.

Cloud's eyes widened and he turned to Sephiroth, who was staring in disbelief and shock at the pile of rubble in front of them. "What do we do?" The blonde asked, his voice shaking.

Sephiroth turned to him and wrapped him in a hug. "Don't worry, everything will be fine." This was all his fault, he had asked Cloud to come here, and now the poor boy was having perhaps the worst day of his life.

**So, what did you think? I personally loved the part with the cookies XD. Anyways, please review and let me know if I'm any good at this.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yay! This story has been getting a lot of love so I've decided to update it! This is the second part of the two-shot but let me know if you guys want me to write a sequel to it and give me some ideas and I'll write it **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the idea… mostly ;)**

Angeal and Genesis were taking their nine o'clock coffee break, sitting in the faculty lounge on the couch.

Angeal took a sip of his coffee and watched as Genesis chugged the last bit of his and place his empty cup down on the table in front of them. "How you can drink so much coffee and not be wired is beyond me." The ravenette said.

Genesis shrugged and voices suddenly flooded in from outside. The two looked at each other in confusion and then walked to the hallway just as a group of people ran by.

Angeal stopped one person. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Something bad happened; it's on the news right now, every channel." The man said.

Angeal let the man go and looked back at Genesis, who prompted him on. The two followed the crowd to the big screen TV in the waiting room. Both men's eyes immediately went wide at the live scene playing out on the screen.

"Holy fuck." Genesis said, bringing up his hand to run it through his hair.

"No. No. No, no, no, no, no." Angeal shook his head slowly, willing the image of the smoking Peace Towers to disappear, like it was all just some sick joke.

"Seph… Cloud." Genesis ground his teeth and clenched his fists, slamming one into the closest wall as tears gathered in his eyes.

"Gen, we don't know anything yet," Angeal reminded him, placing a hand on his younger lover's shoulder, "I'm going to go get Zack. If Reno calls, tell him to get his ass over here." He quickly turned and pushed through the crowds to get out.

Genesis turned his gaze back to the TV screen. "Damn it Seph, please get yourself and Cloud out of there in one piece."

Zack tapped his pencil irritably on his notebook as his teacher rambled on about something that had nothing to do with the class. He sighed and rested his chin in his hand, ready to fall asleep. Suddenly, the door to the room swung open and everyone's heads turned to find… Angeal?

Angeal's eyes searched until they found Zack, and the younger ravenette could see the man trembling and breathing heavily. Zack immediately began to fear the worst, and he never ever panicked.

"Zack, come with me." Angeal ordered.

The younger ravenette threw a glance at the teacher before he quickly packed up and met Angeal. The older ravenette grabbed his hand a pulled him down the hall towards the parking lot.

"What is going on?" Zack asked, slight agitation in his tone.

Angeal kept his eyes forward and Zack could see that they were steely and glistening with the threat of tears. "Two planes flew into the Peace Towers." The older man answered.

Zack gasped and stumbled, Angeal barely keeping him on his feet. "But… Seph and Cloud…"

"I know. Gen's back at the office alone and it's best that the four of us are together right now." Angeal said.

Zack felt his heart shattering. The **four** of them? No, it had always been the **six** of them, had been for five months now. Cloud and Sephiroth had to make it, they just had to. Seph was too damn stubborn to die anyways.

Reno had his feet perched up on his desk and his arms folded behind his head as he took a light snooze. So far, work had been boring. His office door suddenly slammed open and Reno nearly fell out of his chair in surprise as his partner Rude walked into his room.

"We have an emergency Reno, the whole city needs to get going right now." Rude told him.

"Whoa, what's big enough to need the whole city?" Reno asked.

"The Peace Towers were hit by planes."

The redhead froze. "What? But… That's not possible. What the hell do you mean hit!"

"They haven't fallen yet, but they might soon." Rude told him.

Reno's eyes widened. "Fuck. Fuck no."

"Reno, what's wrong?" Rude asked with concern. His partner had never shown that much emotion.

"Sephiroth and Cloud… My boyfriends were in the Peace Towers today. I dropped them off there earlier."

Rude's eyes widened. "Reno… I'm so sorry." He shook off his surprise. "Listen, you stay here. You're too close to the situation. We'll call you in if we need you or if we find your boyfriends."

"But Rude..!" Reno's partner had already ran out of his office. The redhead stood frozen in shock for a few moments before he pulled out his cell phone and called Angeal.

Angeal and Zack ran into the older man's office, finally finding Genesis in the crowd of people around the TV. Zack and Genesis embraced just as Angeal's phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered it.

"Hello?" Angeal asked.

"Angie, it's me… Reno." The redhead sounded disheartened.

"Reno, thank god I was just going to call you." Angeal said.

"Did you hear? About what happened?" Reno asked.

"Yes, it's all over the news. You haven't gotten a call from either of them by any chance have you?" The ravenette asked desperately.

"No, but I'm not just going to sit around here waiting." Reno suddenly sounded resolved.

Angeal clued in to what he was planning. "Reno, listen to me…"

"No! You listen to me Angeal! Seph and Cloud are in trouble! Now I'm going to go and see if they're alive and make sure it stays that way!" Reno interrupted and hung up when he was done yelling.

Angeal held the phone still at his ear in shock. "Damn it Reno." He shut his phone and turned back to Genesis and Zack, the former who had an arm wrapped around the latter's shoulders.

"He's going isn't he?" Genesis asked.

"Yes. We can't stop him and we can't do anything. We have to wait and watch the news and hope that Cloud or Seph will call us. If they do, we need to be here for them." Angeal said.

Zack nodded. "I kind of wish that we could do something."

"You know they'll have the area cordoned off to anyone except authority. There's no way we would even get in." Genesis reminded him.

Zack nodded again. "But I feel so helpless."

Angeal walked over to his two lovers and embraced them. They both felt the same way. It wasn't bad enough that Sephiroth would have been in danger either way, but Cloud had accidentally gotten mixed into the fray as well. The poor blonde had already been upset about take your kid to work day, and now he was on one he might not live through. At least he had Sephiroth though; at least they had each other.

Cloud half wished he could cry, but he felt too numb to even do that. He was sitting in Sephiroth's lap and the older man was leaning against the wall next to their blocked escape route.

"I'm sorry Cloud." Sephiroth suddenly snapped the blonde out of a daze and Cloud turned his head to look at the older man. "If I hadn't invited you along you wouldn't be in this mess."

Cloud bit his lip. "You couldn't have known. Besides, I think I feel better being here with you and knowing you're alright. I can't imagine what Angeal, Genesis, Reno, and Zack will be going through when they hear about this."

Sephiroth's eyes widened. "You're right. Damn it, I wonder if we could get a call through to them."

Cloud pulled out his cell phone and was immediately greeted with no service. "Damn it!"

Sephiroth pulled out his and got the same result. "They're going to be freaking out."

"As long as they're together, and hopefully they are." Cloud said. He turned slightly to wrap his arms around Sephiroth. The older man wrapped his arms around Cloud and rubbed the boy's back soothingly, thinking about the layout of the building.

Sephiroth's eyes suddenly brightened. "There's another staircase!"

Cloud pulled back and looked up at him in disbelief. "Really?"

"Yes, come on!" The older man pulled them both to their feet and led the way to the other staircase. This one was smaller and more claustrophobic, but it was clear.

Cloud smiled. "This is great!"

The two began their run down forty floors. The staircase was virtually empty. They found no one else in it, presumably because everyone else had taken the other staircase. The second they reached the twentieth floor, both men let a smile settle on their features. They could make it out now, they were almost home free.

"I can't wait to see Angeal, Gen, Zack, and Reno." Cloud said as he followed Sephiroth down the stairs.

Sephiroth chuckled and reached back to grab Cloud's hand as they reached the tenth floor. "Me neither, for once. Usually I dread going home to the constant bickering."

The blonde scoffed. "You cause it half the time."

Sephiroth stopped on the ninth floor landing and paused to turn back to Cloud, raising an eyebrow to the boy. "Is that so?"

Cloud folded his arms, smirking. "Yes."

The silverette grinned and picked the boy up, throwing him over his shoulder. "You're grounded."

"Seph! Put me down! You can't do that!" Cloud protested as Sephiroth began running down the stairs again.

"I can so; I'm over twice your age." The older man reminded him.

Cloud watched as they passed the sixth floor, then the fifth floor, and the fourth floor. "Come on; let me run the last few." He said.

Sephiroth sighed and put him down, immediately grabbing his hand and pulling them along.

They passed the third floor, the second floor, and finally made it to the first floor lobby. They came out of the staircase, breathing heavily. Both of their expressions changed to shock simultaneously. The entire lobby was littered with debris and there were paramedics everywhere. The two looked at each other and turned to leave but a paramedic came over to them.

"You two! Where were you when the plane hit?" She asked them.

"We were on the fiftieth floor, just below the crash." Sephiroth told her.

"Are you both alright? We haven't seen anyone else from that floor."

"Everyone else died. Not a lot of people were on the floor at that time." Cloud answered.

"And yes, we're fine." The silverette added.

"Okay, good. You had both better get out of here before the entire building collapses." She ordered.

"What!" Cloud and Sephiroth exclaimed at the same time.

She shrugged. "We're not really too sure how the buildings are going to hold up, especially the second tower."

Sephiroth nodded and grabbed the blonde's arm, beginning to pull him away quickly. Cloud stumbled in his attempt to keep up, trying to look back to see the towers once they were outside, but not being given the time to. There was debris everywhere so he had to watch where he stepped.

They finally made it across the block when an ear splitting crack pulsed through the silence. They both jumped and turned around; finally catching sight of the massacre they had been in, just before the second tower began to implode, crashing into itself.

"Run!" Sephiroth yelled, grabbing Cloud's hand a pulling him along. The two felt the building hit the ground and the earth below them rumbled. Debris flew out and smoke and dust surged outwards in a cloud. A powerful wave from the force of the building imploding surged out and hit Sephiroth and Cloud, ripping them from each other as the dust literally covered the area.

Cloud found himself flying for a few moments before he hit the ground hard, twisting his wrist when he hit the pavement. He cried out and immediately started choking on the tainted air. He quickly rolled off his arm and held his injured wrist, unsteadily climbing to his feet. He started coughing and his eyes began to sting. "Sephiroth!" He called out.

The blonde tried to see through the dense, fog-like air but he could barely see two feet in front of his face. "Sephiroth!" He yelled, beginning to stumble off in a random direction and hoping he could find his way out of the layer of dust. He kept calling out for his lover, praying and begging that he was alive after what they had made it through.

"Cloud!" A voice finally answered him and the blonde struggled to see through the dust. He kept walking towards the voice, finally seeing a splash of red.

"Reno?" He asked surprised.

Reno whirled around to face the boy, barely believing his eyes. "Cloud!" He ran over to the boy and pulled him into his arms, embracing him tightly.

Cloud hugged Reno back as tears poured down his cheeks.

"Oh my fucking god, I never thought I would see you again." Reno said, pulling away.

Cloud buried his face in Reno's chest and his shoulder shook as he sobbed. "I lost Seph. I don't know where…" He trailed off as he began coughing again.

Reno patted the boy's back, trying to hold in his tears. He tried to talk but found that words just wouldn't come out.

"Reno?"

Both boys jumped and turned around to find Sephiroth standing behind them. Cloud immediately smiled and ran over to the older man. "Sephiroth!" He jumped into the silverette's arms, hugging him tightly.

Reno smiled as well and ran over to them. The three of them all joined in their embrace.

Sephiroth was the one to pull away. "We had better get out before the other tower collapses too."

Reno and Cloud nodded in agreement and with the dust settling, found their way back to the redhead's car. They got in and quickly drove away from the buildings.

Reno sat in the driver's seat and Sephiroth sat in the back with Cloud. "Angeal, Genesis, and Zack are together thankfully. I think they took Zack out of school the second they heard." Reno filled them in.

Sephiroth rubbed Cloud's arm comfortingly. "Okay." The silverette replied.

Cloud kept his eyes trained on the rear view mirror. When another rumble shook the sky, he and Sephiroth turned around and saw the first tower begin to collapse on itself, like the second one. Reno observed out of the rear view mirror, staring in a fascinated horror for a few seconds before he refocused his attention on driving.

"It's over guys." The redhead said, sounding serious and wise for probably the first time ever.

Cloud turned back around and let out a sigh of neither relief, nor desperation. It might have been something in between. Tears welled in the corners of his eyes but he was determined not to cry anymore.

Sephiroth finally tore his gaze from the scene and wrapped an arm around Cloud's shoulders, pulling him close and planting a kiss on his temple.

Angeal, Genesis, and Zack watched in horror as the second tower collapsed, still hoping that since Cloud and Sephiroth were in the first tower, they were safe. But when the first tower collapsed, it was a different story.

Genesis' eyes were wide, Zack's jaw had dropped, and Angeal stood rigid as they watched the first tower collapse on the big screen. When the dust covered the view of the camera, Zack slumped back against the closest wall, completely numb. Tears began to roll down Angeal's cheeks and he couldn't take his eyes off the screen. Genesis' fists clenched and tears threatened to spill from his eyes. He screamed and punched the closest wall, then leaned in until his forehead hit the cold surface.

"Fuck." He said, his voice shaking.

Zack pulled out his cell phone and held it in his trembling hand, begging for a text to come.

Angeal finally unfroze and turned to his boyfriends. He walked over to Zack, pulling the younger boy's cell phone out of his hands and closing it before giving it back to him. He then turned to Genesis and pulled him over, gathering them all into a hug.

Genesis broke down, crying into Angeal's chest. Zack also broke down and then Angeal was quick to follow. Everyone else in their office was either doing the same or was equally sombre.

"Angie, when will you learn to trust me?"

Angeal, Genesis, and Zack all broke out of their hug and turned to the voice, where a smiling Reno stood with Sephiroth and Cloud.

Zack immediately broke into a smile and laughed, running forward to embrace the three of them. Genesis quickly followed, burying his face in Sephiroth's chest. Angeal also walked over, wrapping one arm around Cloud and the other around Reno.

"When you stop putting your fucking life in danger." Angeal told the redhead.

Genesis suddenly pulled away and everyone broke apart. "You two are fucking idiots! You could have fucking called or texted us to let us know that you weren't fucking dead!" The redhead exclaimed.

Sephiroth blinked in surprise and tears started rolling down Cloud's face. The blonde pitched forward into Genesis' arms. "I'm so sorry! We had no reception and I know I promised to text you but…" The younger boy broke off into heavy sobs.

Genesis stood bewildered for a few moments before he wrapped his arms around Cloud and hugged him. "It's okay, I'm sorry I yelled. We just… thought we weren't ever going to see you two again." He looked up at Sephiroth, who gave him an understanding nod.

Angeal rested his hand on Sephiroth's shoulder. "We should get home." The ravenette said.

Before the group could go home, they had to go to the hospital to get Cloud's broken wrist wrapped up. When they did finally get home, silence had settled between them. Cloud and Sephiroth changed out of their ruined clothes and then everyone gathered in the living room, sitting on the large couch they had. Cloud was in Sephiroth's lap, sticking to him like glue after what they had been through, Zack was in Angeal's, and Genesis was in Reno's. Sephiroth was in the middle of the two.

Angeal grabbed Sephiroth's hand in his and cleared his throat. "What do you all think we should do now?"

Everyone looked at the oldest man in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Zack asked.

"Do we want to stay in the city or leave?" Angeal clarified.

Genesis looked down at his lap. "Well, we've been here our whole lives, why leave? Just because there's this one bad memory, we all have jobs here we should keep."

"Well, most of us." Reno reminded him.

"Gen has a point. Staying here is going to be like making us veterans. It's going to remind us what terror we went through, but it's also going to remind us that we made it through and that we're still all together." Sephiroth agreed.

Angeal looked at Cloud, who was leaning back against Sephiroth and twiddling his thumbs. "Yeah, I think I'd miss this house too much." The blonde agreed.

Angeal smiled and leaned over to kiss Sephiroth and Cloud on the cheek. "That's settled then. Who wants dinner?"

Cloud's stomach grumbled on cue. The blonde chuckled. "Definitely sounds good."

"We'll all help make it." Zack suggested standing up.

Genesis smiled and jumped to his feet, pulling Reno up with him. "That sounds even better." The older redhead said.

Everyone slowly filed into the kitchen except Cloud and Sephiroth because the former suddenly wouldn't budge. The silverette snapped his fingers in front of the boy and Cloud snapped his attention to him.

"Um, Seph… I'm glad you took me with you today." Cloud said quietly.

Sephiroth blinked in surprise. With what they had gone through, the poor boy was probably traumatized, but still? "Why are you?"

"Because I knew we were going to make it out of there. I did have my doubts, but then I remembered that you're always there to protect me, and that assured me that we would both be safe." The blonde answered.

The silverette smiled softly and curled his fingers under the boy's chin, tilting his head to the side and kissing him. Cloud kissed back, reaching up his uninjured hand to cup the older man's cheek.

"Hey! You two coming or do we need to carry you both in!" Zack called from the kitchen.

The two smiled and broke apart, Sephiroth climbing to his feet and picking up Cloud in his arms. "Just one of us." The silverette said.

"I do not need to be carried! It's my wrist that's hurt!" Cloud protested, although he was smiling.

Sephiroth ignored the boy and carried him into the kitchen, where a big dinner was already in preparation.

After the somewhat late dinner, all six men were exhausted and ready to go to bed. They got into their pyjamas and climbed into their super sized bed, which was big enough to fit all of them with extra room. They all gave each other goodnight kisses and settled down into their usual spots on the bed.

Angeal was on the left edge, facing the right with one arm around Reno's shoulders. Reno had one arm wrapped around Angeal's waist and the other wrapped around Genesis'. Genesis had his arms wrapped around Cloud's waist and his chin resting on the younger boy's head. Cloud had curled into a ball next to Sephiroth, who had his arm wrapped around the blonde and Zack on the other side of him. Cloud's face was nuzzled into the silverette's neck. Sephiroth's arm that was around Cloud extended to Genesis, where he had his hands tangled in the younger man's hair. Zack was basically wrapped around Sephiroth completely.

Although the position was somewhat awkward, the men were comfortable and content. After the day they had been through, being with each other was more a treat than they could have ever imagined.

Cloud, who couldn't sleep suddenly, sat up a little and looked over his lover's faces. "I love you guys." He said.

The other men smiled and Genesis pulled Cloud back down. Apparently none of them had been asleep either.

"I love you all too." Zack said.

"I love you all so much." Reno added.

"I love you all more than anything." Angeal said.

"Love you all." Genesis said.

Sephiroth planted a kiss on Cloud's nose, making the blonde grin. "I love all of you."

Cloud closed his eyes, finally feeling tired. He nuzzled his face into Sephiroth's neck and let out a breath. He was glad that he hadn't died, because giving up what he had now would have been the hardest thing ever. With his boyfriends, he knew he could make it through anything.

**Okay, kinda cheesy ending but c'mon, these guys deserve a break after everything right! I express my condolences to everyone involved in the 9/11 attacks, whether themselves or a member of their family, and this isn't meant to offend anyone. Thanks for reading and please review! **


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